Transcending the Legacy (22 page)

Jesca’s hands leave my shoulders as I try to regain control of myself.
Ira is at my side and Xander is standing next to her.

Xander sends me his thoughts as he takes hold of Jes,
“It had her, Nate.”

As Xander peels his eyes from me to help Jes to the back of the truck, I look at Ira. He simply nods,
understanding what had just occurred; proof that his presence kept this hybrid Dweller from latching onto Jesca completely.

All of the guardians begin to filter to the back of the truck when Briggs mumbles angrily, “We aren’t going to make it by dark.”
He pulls the truck door open and turns toward the Rephaim and I before getting in. “What the hell was that, huh?” Glaring at us, he climbs into the truck and slams the door shut before bringing the engine to a roar.

A voice calls over the engine,
“If he wanted an answer he would have waited for it. He already knows.” The gravity of Sam’s voice seizes my attention as I turn around.

Sam’s arms are crossed and Corinna is standing at his side. “It’s him isn’t it
, Nate?” he asks.

Corinna suddenly looks down, pats Sam on the back and walks back to the rear
of the truck. I consider following her as she walks away, worried that she is going to tell the others, but Sam moves in on me. “She won’t say anything,” he says.

“Why wouldn’t she?” I ask.

Sam, “She has seen someone saved from him before.”

I know right away that Sam is talking about Michael’s control over him all of those years, then him breaking free from it.

“It isn’t just Michael. His soul merged with a Dweller. Xander saw it happen. The only thing that will keep it from attacking us is the Rephaim.”
I look up at Ira and the other Rephaim. “They are the only thing that saved Jesca just now. I couldn’t reach her, give her my life force, until Ira and the others came.”

Sam’s eyes dart to from Ira to the others curiously, then come to rest back on me. “I have been watching you and Xander. I know that it hasn’t just latched onto you. It has hopped from you to Xander and now it has attempted to take Jesca. Who is to say it won’t attempt to take any of us to fulfill
its mission to kill?”

I feel the enormity of the situation vivify as terror washes over me from Sam’s cautionary words. Ira
attempts to conceal is natural thunderous tone. “We won’t let that happen.”

Sam tilts his head up
toward Ira. “You aren’t immortal. What if they find a way to kill you?”

Lathan’s throaty growl puts Sam on guard
and he takes a step back from Ira and his clan before he looks in my direction again. “She doesn’t know yet, but Jesca is close to discovering what is going on here. So is Ezra. I won’t keep my mouth shut if they discover it.”

Ignoring what I know is true, I look from Ira to the other
Rephaim. “Daniel said we are on the outskirts of Dalton, Georgia. The mounds aren’t far off now. We just need to stay focused on keeping each other alive and get to the mounds with Jesca.”

Briggs rolls down the window and yells.
“If you don’t get your butts in the truck I am leaving you behind!”

Sam turns away from us and heads to the back of the truck first. I fall in behind him, trying without much success to block images of our sole protection being massacred by
the Dwellers before we get to the mounds.

“Get her water and something to eat,” Ezra bosses as both he and Xander begin lifting me into the truck.

Feeling stronger, I say sharply, “I’ve got it.”

Xander releases me, but Ezra doesn’t listen; he can’t help himself I suppose. His hand rests lightly on the middle of my back as I get my footing on the floor of the truck and pull up from the handle along the side. Sebastian is rummaging through a bag, removing food and water, passing it through the chain of guardians. I peer out the fogged windows to see what Nate is doing out there. He should have been right behind us.

I look around me, taking inventory of the guardians.
Shiva is sniffing around Elisabeth as she sits slumped between Ms. Olivia and Sebastian. Olivia is pulling her unruly
hair from her face while Sebastian tries to give her more water. Seeing her face and eyes better now, I notice they are brighter than they were when we first saw her. She is not wheezing as heavily as she was earlier either.

I look down the bench. Elisha has Tessa between her and Nick, her arm draped over Tessa’s
shoulder holding her close. Nick’s arm is
clutching
the safety bar behind Elisha. As soon as Tessa sees me, she unlatches her safety belt and rushes across the aisle. Still a little wobbly, she almost knocking me over as she wraps her arms around my neck squeezing me tightly. Her words are barely audible as she nuzzles against me. “Don’t leave me.”

I wrap my arms around her and place
my lips on her head, pronouncing every syllable of my words. “I will not leave you, Tessa.”

I look over at Siobhan and Jake eyeing me.
Siobhan was the first to see me in that immovable state. She asks with deep concern, “What happened, Jes?”

Numb limbs, Michael’s voice, wondering if he was close by, speechless.

Too many things happened all at once. Telling her any one of them would set off
a charge of questions among the guardians that I am not sure I have answers for yet.

Jake asks, “Was it
the Dwellers?”

Luke
questions, “Did you feel them close by?”

I look sideways at Xander remembering his, Nate’s, and Ira’s, small exchange before him and Ezra escorted me to the
truck. This has something to do with the way they have been acting, all the secrets and sideways glances.

Answering Siobhan first, I say,
“Not sure yet.”

I follow with the answer to Jake and Luke's’ questions as I discreetly watch Xander’s reaction to what I say, “I don’t think it was
the Dwellers. It was something different. Something familiar.”

Xander’s disposition changes suddenly. He turns his head to look straight out the window opposite of him, no longer seeking Nate. His jaw works from side to side, flexing the muscles around them. He doesn’t look at me when he asks, “Something familiar?”

Corinna climbing into the truck draws everyone’s attention from the conversation at hand.

Monica asks her, “
Where are Sam and Nate?”

Just then, the truck’s engine ignites and I hear Briggs hollering.
Corinna sits on the nearest open seat next to Elisha. She doesn’t look at any of us as she says, “They are coming. Talking to Briggs about our route.”

Why would they need to talk about the route?

She looks across the aisle at me, concern in her eyes. “You alright?”

I nod. “I am now.”

I was fine after Nate pulled me to him, then Ira and the other
Rephaim came. Did they scare him off? I peer out the windows through the sliding raindrops on the metallic glass. What if he is still here? “We should probably get moving,” I say.

Ezra grumbles furiously all of a sudden, “Damn it, you were paralyzed
, Jes. I want to know everything that happened to you out there.”

Not able to hide it now that Ezra has called me out, I
tell the guardians what happened, the feeling of not being able to walk, speak, the feeling of a presence, the whispering of my name. I don’t tell them it’s Michael though.

Ezra, “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

I shake my head and look at him. “It’s not your fault.”

Ezra won’t hear it. He closes his eyes and leans his head back against the window pinching
the bridge of his nose. “What if it was Michael?” he says angrily.

Shocked by Ezra’s
unperceived intuition, I look at Xander, just as he runs his hand nervously over his forehead and diverts his eyes to the floor of the truck, refusing to look at me or Ezra.

Daniel
speaks up, “If he didn’t get help immediately after entering our world from beyond the veil, he would have died within minutes, half hour tops. There aren’t many active Sondians out there in the world at this point.”

The clatter of Sam and Nate climbing into the truck steal our attention from Daniel.
Both he and Nate look frustrated with something as they close the doors to the truck and latch it tightly. Sam looks at Corinna as he sits next to her. Corinna glances at Nate just as he sits down on the other side of Ezra.

I hear Ezra mumble something to Nate, but my focus is on Sam as he cups the back of Corinna’s head and places a small kiss on her forehead.
Sam silently mouths two words against her forehead, “It’s fine.”

What is that about?

He latches his safety belt in place, just as the truck lurches forward, jumping a bit then smoothing out into a steady pace.

They weren’t talking about some route out there with Briggs.
I play my question wisely as I direct it at Sam to try and snuff out more information. “Everything alright with the route?”

Corinna and Sam both look at me, then Corinna looks at Sam wearily.
Sam’s brows furrow curiously as he answers slowly, unsure of my question, “Yes, it is fine.”

Sam is involved obviously.

I notice Nate lean forward and look down the aisle beyond me at Xander. He tries to disguise it as he rests his elbows on his knees and tightly intertwines his hands into a fist.

“What?”
Sebastian’s surprised question distracts me from my stirring concern. He and Ms. Olivia are examining the back of Elisabeth’s neck. Puzzled, Olivia announces, “She isn’t implanted!”

Elisabeth is
oblivious to the inspection Sebastian is performing as she silently chews a piece of food Olivia placed in her mouth.

Sam shakes his head in denial,
“That isn’t possible. She would be dead by now.”

I remember what Tom had said about the dogs, and the idea of others being out there without Copula implantation.

Monica beats me to the punch. “It is if she is an anomaly.”

Daniel
starts, “She’s right. Tom said…” He stops himself before he carries on realizing his mention of Tessa’s father.

Tessa tenses in my arms from the mention of his name. I
rub her arm and rest my head on hers to try and calm her. In response she squeezes my waist tighter and buries her head deeper into my chest.

Daniel continues leerily, “He had mentioned the dogs and other people. He called them natives.”

Monica adds, “Their unique genes have helped them survive the evolution.”

Ezra takes inventory, “She is wheezing, coughing, lethargic.”
He looks at Tessa, then back at all of us. “Like the mother.”

I realize he is trying to make the comparison to Tessa’s mother and sister. Ezra continues, “She is near death, she is not an anomaly.”

I look at Elisabeth. She has taken the bag of food from Olivia and is chewing faster. She takes the canteen of water Sebastian held for her and drinks from it without a problem. I look at Ezra and say, “She seems to be doing much better. Definitely doesn’t look like she is near death.”

Ezra casts his eyes on her
now, visibly surprised as his brows arch. “You’re right.”

Sebastian leans forward to try and catch Elisabeth’s fixed stare. “Elisabeth,” he calls.

Like the sound of her name has raised her from the dead, she swallows her food, drinks from the canteen, then looks over at him cautiously.

Sebastian takes that as her acknowledgement of his call.
Sebastian keeps his eyes on her as he touches his own lips. “Lips aren’t quivering. She is able to hold the canteen and food on her own. Her eyes are not as dull, and she isn’t shaking anymore.”

I follow the checklist manner he is inspecting her and can’t help comparing it to the checklist of
issues I had moments ago. “Just like I was,” I say.

Sebastian and Olivia both look at me as they
realize my observation.

Sebastian turns her face t
oward his and searches her eyes. “Can you speak, Elisabeth?”

She moves her lips slightly then
says in a gentle voice, “Yes.” She seems surprised by her accomplishment.

Sebastian looks beyond
Elisabeth at Olivia, then his eyes dart to Ezra and Daniel before returning to her.

She continues speaking, “I was walking to the orchard to collect peaches.”

Sebastian asks, “Orchard?”

Elisabeth ignores his question. “Gabe used to go, but since he left
…”

Sebastian pats her hands gently, “Elisabeth, where did Gabe go?”

Nick asks, “Who’s Gabe?”

Without missing a beat, Sebastian answers, “Her husband.”

My grandfather.

Ignoring our questions and comments, she continues to speak, “I have had to be more careful now that the beings are coming more frequently. But I knew their frequency meant that something was changing. It was stirring them up. I thought it was Ana.”

Elisabeth looks across the aisle at me, her jade eyes fixed on me. “I see Ana when I look at you. Who are you?”

I clear my throat before I answer her, “Jesca, Ana’s daughter.”

Her eyes widen and she looks at Sebastian. He nods and confirms my words. “This is your granddaughter.”

She looks back at me, somewhat lost again in a state of confusion as she murmurs, “It was
never going to be me or Ana.”

Everyone looks at each other, thrown by her words.

Sebastian asks, “What do you mean Elisabeth.”

She blinks her eyes rapidly, like she is waking from a dream. “The legacy. I thought it was me it wanted, that is why I took her to you Sebastian. To protect her from me. ”

I can’t believe what I am hearing. My grandmother, mute moments ago, is revealing her knowledge of the legacy that we have been chasing. She is admitting she sought Sebastian to take my mother. Her knowledge makes me consider that she may be the messenger among us that Ira told us about.

She looks down at the bag of food she holds and whispers, “From the moment Gabe and I left Ana in your care all those years ago, we have hid
den.”

Sebastian
asks, “Where?”

Elisabeth
looks out the window briefly, “At first we were not going to return to Georgia, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Something was keeping me here.” She looks back at Sebastian and shakes her head gravely. “As my visions have become more vivid, so has my affliction. They are so powerful...paralyzing. Can’t speak or move. Just now, it was different.”

I remember Sebastian mentioning Elisabeth as a young girl having the afflicting headaches, but hearing her speak about their intensity concerns me.
Is that what held her captive when we met her or was it something else all together? Am I doomed to follow in her footsteps?

Elisabeth continues, “The village, the young girl and the gentleman in love, the legacy transforming, progressing
with every divination I had.”

Ezra, Sebastian, and I look at each other, realizing that this girl and gentleman were most definitely the ones that I had been seeing in my own visions. I look away from them, feeling self-conscious of their scrutiny suddenly and I notice that we have begun passing through a town, the blur of vacant buildings and cars.

Elisabeth goes on, “We settled here in Dalton.”